Texas AG probes voter fraud in Agua SUD election

The Texas Attorney General’s office is conducting an investigation into illegal voting during the May election for the Agua Special Utility board of directors.

The investigation was launched after candidate Eric Sanchez, running for the Mission director’s seat on the board, filed a complaint with the Texas Secretary of State’s office alleging multiple people voted from the address of his opponent, Cesar Rodriguez Jr., but did not actually live there.

Rodriguez won re-election to the board in May by only three votes. He did not return requests for comment.

The secretary of state’s office referred the complaint to the AG’s office in a letter dated May 30.

Keith Ingram, elections director at the secretary of state’s office, wrote to the AG’s office requesting assistance “in reviewing allegations of criminal activity in connection with the Agua Special Utility District Election.”

According to the letter, the complaint alleges that Rodriguez had six people vote from his residence while only two actually lived there.

County elections records show that Rodriguez and six other people voted in the May election under his address.

“After review of the submitted documentation, we believe the information regarding the offense warrants a submission for criminal investigation to the Texas Attorney General as the specific allegations described involve a potential felony offense,” Ingram wrote.

The AG’s office would not confirm or deny the existence of an investigation and would not comment on the issue.

Sanchez filed the complaint with the secretary of state’s office while early voting was underway in April after seeing the list of people who had already voted.

“Well, it came out that there was four or five people had voted from his address,” Sanchez said referring to people registered to vote at Rodriguez’s address.

He said he was confident those people didn’t actually live there since he and Rodriguez both live on West 30th Street in Mission.

“I live here and I know that; we see who comes and goes,” Sanchez said. “We live about six houses down and I know for a fact that they don’t live there.”